The Disappearance of Gabriella Montez
by SamanthaBlonde
Summary: On what should be one of the best nights of her life, Gabriella Montez goes missing - but what has happened to her? R
1. Opportunity

**Chapter One: Opportunity**

"What are we waiting for? Let's just do it!"

"Patience, Turner. It's all about patience. It's all about waiting"

The two men sat in the front on a large white van. The second man was sitting in the driver's seat, staring blankly out of the windshield and resting his arm nonchalantly out of the open window of the van, a cigarette hanging limply in his hand. He had long, dark hair cascading to his shoulders and though his face showed no obvious expression, his wicked, brown eyes spoke volumes. He had spoken in soft, low voice dripping with barely disguised malice.

Turner, the man who had spoken first was rather more agitated. He was much larger than his accomplice, not with fat but with the sheer volume of muscle on his bones. He was chewing nervously and working his squared jaw busily. He appeared to be nervous although he had been initiating the act.

"Come on, Banes! What's the use in waiting?", Turner asked as he wrung his hands.

"Patience", hissed the man in reply.

Turner could not contain his aggravation, despite the obvious threat that had been in Bates' voice.

"What are we even waiting for?", he groaned.

Banes turned to him. His expressionless face had not changed and he spoke in a voice that was barely a whisper. His eyes burnt with emotion.

"The opportune moment"

Turner knew that he should stop asking questions before Banes became annoyed. He had been on the receiving end of Banes' anger before now and it had not ended well. Whatever the opportune moment was, Turner knew that he should wait for it.

Banes continued, "Look over there, into the house, the first floor, second window from the left. There she is"

...

Gabriella Montez was in the kitchen of her new home. She and her boyfriend, Troy had recently graduated from East High School and had moved on to go to university but as the universities they had chosen were so close together, they had decided to buy a house together in between the two. She still hadn't gotten used to living with Troy, but she knew she enjoyed it.

She had been staring out of the window aimlessly in a daydream about her and Troy's future when he came in and hugged her from behind.

"Hey, babe!", he said, reaching around and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Hey!", she laughed. She took hold of Troy's arms encircling her waist and pulled herself in closer to him.

"What were you doing?", Troy asked.

"Oh. . .Just. . .Staring out of the window", she giggled at how silly it sounded.

Troy raised his eyebrow at her, "Thrilling. Anything exciting out there?", he asked.

Gabriella sighed and rolled her eyes at his sarcasm, "No. Nothing exciting. That white van over there hasn't moved since this morning, the guys have just been sitting in there. It's a bit weird"

"Nah", Troy reassured her, "It'll just be some welders or something"

Gabriella shrugged and turned around to face her boyfriend. Even though they had been together for so long, she still got butterflies when she gazed into Troy's eyes and she couldn't help but smiling. He bent his head down and gave her a long kiss on the lips.

The kiss was suddenly interrupted by a familiar sound. Troy's phone began to ring and he picked it up and looked at it. He looked as if he was going to hang up but as he glanced the screen, his expression changed. He must have known the number as he picked up.

"Hello? Uhuh. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. No, look, I can't talk properly right now. No. Yep. Sure. Okay bye"

He hang up the phone and turned back to Gabriella.

"Now where were we?", he grinned.

"Who was that?", Gabriella asked, confused. She had tried to listen to the small voice on the other side of the phone to work out who he had been talking to but it had been too quiet for her to decipher. She was slightly suspicious of the mystery phone call.

Troy shrugged, "Nothing, it was no one. Just some guy from university. He's trying to get us to go on a road trip or something. I don't know. Anyway, I have better things to do with my time than talk to him when I have my gorgeous girlfriend right here in front of me"

Troy kissed her again. Gabriella was still slightly confused but as she melted into his kiss, the insecurities faded away.

"Troy, we should really get ready for Sharpay's party", Gabriella tore herself away from the kiss.

"Huh?"

"It's Sharpay's party tonight! In an hour actually. Come on, let's get ready and head of"

Troy sighed and rolled his eyes but nodded his head. The couple made their way up to the bedroom to get themselves ready for the night of fun ahead of them.

...

The two men watched as Gabriella and Troy exited the room, hand in hand.

"The opportune moment", Banes said quietly, "Is nearly here".


	2. Surprise

**Chapter Two: Surprise**

"What do you think?", Gabriella walked into the centre of the room and turned on the spot. Troy's mouth dropped open at the sight of his girlfriend. She was wearing a full length, strapless dress in a pale yellow colour which formed a train at the back and tiered upwards until it was just above her knees at the front, showing off her slim legs. It had a black sash in the centre to pull in her small waist. Her deep brown hair cascaded over her shoulders in perfect curls, framing her gorgeous face.

"Troy?", Gabriella had a nervous look on her face, "Why aren't you saying anything? Does it not look good? Should I go and change?"

Troy walked over to his girlfriend and pulled her in close to him before lowering himself slightly to whisper in her ear, "You have never looked more beautiful".

Gabriella's face broke into a wide grin as Troy took her hand and lead her outside to the small, silver car he had recently managed to get hold of second hand. He opened the door for her and gestured her into the car which she gracefully lowered herself into. Troy closed the door and walked around to his side, sat in the driver seat and started the engine. Before driving off, Troy turned to Gabriella. He gave her a smile and a quick wink which made her heart melt. The engine roared as they drove off to celebrate.

...

The engine of the van stuttered into life, choking on the toxic fumes it was heaving out. The vehicle remained still.

"What are we waiting for? Go, go, go!"

"Wait", a low voice hissed in reply.

"I'm sick of waiting! Let's do this! Now!"

"Wait", the same voice repeated.

"Why?"

"Because, Turner, the fun is in the chase", Banes turned to look at his accomplice and grinned nastily. He raised both of his hands, fingers extended and began to lower them slowly one by one.

10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.

As the final finger snapped into his palm, Banes turned wordlessly and placed his hands on the steering wheel. The van noisily spluttered into motion and drove slowly towards the intended destination.

...

"Woah, Sharpay really goes all out doesn't she?", Troy sounded impressed as they walked up to the regal building that their friend had chosen to host her 21st birthday party in. It was carved entirely out of stone cut into intricate patterns and there were pillars of solid gold setting it off. As they entered the foyer, the room was draped entirely in white silk and there were red velvet sofas lining the wall.

"GUYS! You're here!", Troy and Gabriella heard a loud screeching voice and saw Sharpay enter the room and totter towards them on 5 inch silver heels. She stood out in a bright pink dress made entirely of dyed ostrich feathers – extravagant as ever.

"Sharpay, you look. . .Amazing!", Gabriella said, "Doesn't she, Troy?"

"Huh? Oh. Yeah. You look. . .nice, Sharpay. It's an interesting dress. . ."

"I know right?", Sharpay smiled. She forced herself between the couple, hooked on to one of each of their elbows and dragged them through from the foyer into the room in which her party was being held, gabbling at them endlessly until finally, they entered and were able to sit down at the long table, lined with favours, confetti, candles and fine china.

"Just in time!", Sharpay squeaked.

Troy and Gabriella caught sight of their friends from across the room – Ryan, Chad, Taylor, Kelsie and Zeke – standing together and talking. As they arrived they all turned to smile and wave at them. The couple were just about to make their way over to the group when they were abruptly interrupted.

"The meal is about to be served", a loud male voice sounded and doors surrounding the room opened, giving way to several waiters carrying food laden silver platters.

...

The van pulled up in a dark side alley. The buildings were cracked and creaking with mould growing down their sides, making the whole place smell of damp.

"Some place to have a party", Turner said.

"Don't be ridiculous", Banes snapped, "Of course it isn't here. Do you really think we could pull this off if we were in broad daylight in the middle of a car park of one of the most prestigious venues in the state? We wait here"

"Why would she come back here?", Turned asked, confused.

"Oh, she will come. Trust me", Banes voice was dark and mysterious, "Just wait".

Banes pulled out his cell phone from his pocket and began to dial. He turned to face Turner, who looked like he may have been on the verge of saying something, and raised his finger to his lips. The dialling tone finished and a quiet din sounded from the phone's small speaker.

"Hello?"

"Ms Montez?"

...

The night so far had been more fun than Troy and Gabriella had expected. The food was gorgeous and all of their friends were there with them. Despite the overly flamboyant setting, the distinctively aristocratic company kept by some of the guests and a regular shriek sounding from the top of the table signalling Sharpay wanted attention, the evening was going well.

Suddenly, there was a clinking of glasses. Sharpay had stood up and was banging the side of her champagne glass with a fork to get everyone's attention. When this seemed to go unnoticed and people continued their conversations, Sharpay yelled down the table.

"SHUT UP!", everyone fell silent and looked towards her, she smiled and continued, "I just wanted to say a few words now that all of you are here about how much this means to me that you're here to celebrate my birthday"

She drew out a roll of paper from her chair and let it drop. There was a very long scroll – presumably signalling a very long speech. The group of friends looked at eachother and there was a consensus of eyebrow raising, eye rolling and sighing. Troy stood up.

"Sharpay, if you don't mind me interrupting, I have something I'd like to say before your speech"

Sharpay looked somewhat put out by this as she had clearly been preparing for a long time, but she sighed and nodded. As she sat back down, Troy began to speak.

"I just wanted to say a quick word – and as I'm guessing it will be much quicker than Sharpay's, I think I should say it now", everyone laughed at the joke Troy had made, even Sharpay although her giggle was terse and combined with tutting and her face reddened.

Troy continued, "I just wanted to say something to my absolutely beautiful girlfriend here, Gabriella Montez", Gabriella turned a delicate shade of pink with the embarrassment of Troy complimenting her so openly, she tried to tug him back into his seat with he laughed and continued.

"She's very modest as well, as you can tell. Those are just two of the amazing qualities that make Gabriella the most wonderful person I know. She's not just my girlfriend, she's my best friend and my soul mate and I love her with all of my heart. I've been waiting a long time to say this, but I think this is the opportune moment"

Troy smiled down at his girlfriend who looked back at him with misty eyes. He bent down on to one knee.

"Ohmygod", Gabriella felt light headed.

"Gabriella. . ."

Just then, a ringtone sounded out and Gabriella felt a vibration on her hip. Her phone was ringing. This was the worst moment for it to happen but her father had been in hospital recently and she knew that any phone call could have been a case of life or death. She looked apologetically at Troy and said that she really had to answer. He nodded and sat back on his cahir as the rest of the guests returned to talking.

"Hello?", Gabriella spoke into the phone.

She couldn't hear any reply from the speaker.

"Hello? Is anyone there?", she could just about make out a voice mumbling into the phone on the other end, "I'm sorry, I just can't hear you!"

Troy poked Gabriella in the ribs, she turned around and he spoke to her, "Let's go outside. There's some convention going on outside in the car park by the looks of it but there's a little alley by the back door that should be pretty quiet, if you like"

Gabriella spoke into the phone to signal she was going to go somewhere quieter and would call back quickly before hanging up. As she made to leave the room, Tory stood up next to her and followed her.

"Troy, you really don't have to come with me, I won't be long", she smiled.

He touched her arm gently, "I know, but I'd rather be wherever you are than anywhere else"

She smiled up at him, "Troy. . .Just then, in the room, you were about to ask something"

"Yes", he replied, smiling.

"What was it? I mean, was it what I think. . .Was it?", Gabriella bit her lip.

He smiled mischievously, "Don't you have a call to make?"

Gabriella growled at him in annoyance but then laughed and the couple made their way outside. Troy placed his hand on the handle of the back door, twisted it down and pushed the door open for Gabriella. She stepped through the door and turned back to look at Troy but as she did, she felt a blow on her back. Her phone flew out of her hand. Gabriella turned to see what had happened but before she did she felt a large pair of arms wrap around her and tug her backwards. Troy yelled out somewhere but she had lost sight of him.

Someone had her and no doubt, they had gotten Troy too. What was going to happen to them?


	3. Attack

**Chapter Three: Attack**

The larger of the two men pulled Gabriella in towards his body, grabbing her two wrists in one of his large hands, pulling them behind her back and then using his other arm to keep her held against him. Gabriella gasped in shock but it had happened too quickly for her to have done anything.

"LET HER GO! GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!", Troy was yelling somewhere close by.

"TROY?", Gabriella screamed.

Troy suddenly came into sight from behind the white van. He ran out from behind it towards Gabriella, followed by another man dressed in black, similar to the man holding the struggling Gabriella. The man following Troy advanced on him quickly and with a deft kick around the ankles, managed to make Troy crash to the floor in a heap.

"TROY!", Gabriella was screaming. To stop her, Turner took his hand and placed it heavily over her mouth to muffle her screams. She tried to bite him and shake her head to force his hand off but her resistance was futile. She continued to struggle against his grasp, breathing heavily and staring at Troy's body on the floor. She could see that he was breathing but he wasn't moving from the crumpled mass on the floor.

He lifted his head to look at her, blood from his nose dripping down on to his upper lip. The sight of his girlfriend restrained in such a way, her eyes so full of fear, made Troy forget his pain and jump to his feet, ready to make a run for it. Just as he steadied himself and turned to run for Gabriella, he was confronted with a gun. He stopped dead as it pointed at his forehead, merely centimetres away from him.

"Get back on the floor", Banes growled.

Troy stood and stared at him. His glance flicking between Banes, the gun and Gabriella, trying desperately to make his mind up about what he should do. Banes raised his eyebrow and clicked the gun as a threat. Troy stood his ground, determined to rescue his girlfriend. Banes tilted his head in confusion at the fact that he had not been obeyed and suddenly flipped the gun to point towards Gabriella. She made a muffled whimper from behind Turner's hand.

"Okay! Okay! I'll get on the floor! Just don't hurt her", Troy knelt on the floor with his hands behind his head as Banes laughed, "You don't disobey me, got it? Or your little princess over there is gonna be on the receiving end of it".

He turned to look at Turner, still holding Gabriella and said, "Turner. Let her go!"

"What? Banes, why would I let her go? We just got her!"

"You didn't let me finish"

Turner fell silent and allowed Banes to continue.

"Let her go. Get the ropes from the van and tie her up"

Gabriella looked alarmed and her eyes widened with fear.

Banes continued, "And you're gonna stay right where you are sweetheart, understand? We're gonna have to keep you quiet too. Turner, gag her"

Turner released the hand clamped over her mouth for a second causing Gabriella to exhale and inhale deeply, the first time she had been able to in minutes. She looked at Troy, kneeling in front of her, her eyes wide with fear. She wanted him to comfort her or to hug her but she knew if she said anything they would both be killed. She continued to stare at him as Turner reached into his pocket and drew out a long white scarf which he pulled roughly between her lips to gag her. Gabriella closed her eyes and wished she was somewhere else.

"The ropes", Banes ordered.

Turner let go of Gabriella to walk over to the van but she didn't move as Banes' gun was still pointed directly at her. Turner opened the back of the van and pulled out several lengths of rope before walking back over to Gabriella and tying her wrists behind her back tightly. She whimpered in pain as he knotted them a little too tightly.

"Nice work, Turner. Very nice work. Beautiful work, in fact", Banes grabbed Troy by the collar, roughly pulled him up so that he was half standing and dragged him with him as he walked towards Gabriella. Troy stumbled on the way and scraped across the gravel, acquiring cuts and grazes over his body which made Gabriella wince and moan. As they reached the bound and gagged Gabriella, Banes released Troy and threw him to the floor at their feet, pointing his gun at him. With his other hand, he reached up and stroked Gabriella's face. She winced away.

"What's wrong, baby? Don't wanna be touched? Because there are much worse places I could be touching you, sweetheart"

Banes' hand moved down from her face, along her body and down to her hips, which he stroked harshly before reaching around and grabbing hold of Gabriella's backside firmly, causing her to yell out. Troy lost his cool.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER, GET OFF YOU DISGUSTING PRICK!"

Banes turned to face Troy and squared up to him, approaching him slowly. Troy pulled himself to his feet and glared defiantly at the man. He didn't care what happened to him as long as Gabriella was okay, he loved her too much for anything to happen to her. He was shaking with fear as he drew his fist back and planted a punch in the centre of Banes' face. There was a crack and Banes' nose was dripping with blood, clearly broken from the impact of the blow. Troy glanced over at Gabriella, so helpless and scared, and he was filled with anger. He ran at Banes' again and launched his fists at him over and over, beating him to the ground. He backed off and stared at the figure lying on the floor in front of him.

"If you do anything to hurt her, I swear to God that I will kill you. I will kill you. Let her go"

Banes looked up at Troy, standing above him. He looked shaken as he put his hand to his nose to catch some of the blood falling from it. He stumbled to his feet wearily and glanced at Troy in what appeared to be fear. Once he was steady on his feet, Banes looked Troy dead in the eye and with no warning flew towards him and began his attack. He grabbed Troy by the hair of his nape, forced his head back and punched his face over and over, before throwing him forwards on to the floor and kicking him in the stomach repeatedly.

"Turner, get the girl into the car and bring me the bat"

As turner grabbed her by the shoulders and hauled her towards the car, Gabriella squeaked. She tried to resist the man dragging her to the car but he was much stronger than her and within seconds she had been thrown into the backseat of the van and the door was slammed in front of her.

"GABRIELLA!", Troy yelled making an effort to move from the floor, but as he began to stand up, he felt a pressure on his right ankle. Banes who was still standing above him had stamped down on to his joint and with a cracking sound, it became obvious that his ankle was broken, leaving him in huge pain and unable to stand.

"GABRIELLA!", Troy could still hear his girlfriends screams coming from the back of the van. He knew how scared she must have been even though he couldn't see her. He would give anything to run over to her and take her home.

"Thanks", he heard Banes say to the man next to him. Troy turned to face his attacker who was now brandishing a large wooden bat.

"Please", Troy begged, "Please, don't. Let her go, I'm begging you, take me instead. You can have anything, you can do anything you want just please let Gabriella go!"

"Time to say goodbye to your girlfriend", Banes raised the bat above his head.

"GABRIELLA!"

He had time to scream the name of his true love before a sharp blow impacted on the back of his head and everything went black. In his final moments on consciousness, he the van door slam, a muffled scream and the screech of wheels on tarmac. Gabriella was gone.


	4. Hostage

**Chapter Four: Hostage**

There was a beeping sound far in the distance. It was the first sound he could remember hearing in days. The pulsing sound was steady, happening every second or so. It was growing louder and louder. It was right next to him.

"Troy? TROY! He's awake! Nurse, nurse! He's awake!"

The voice speaking was familiar. He couldn't place it in his mind. He tried to lift his eyelids but they felt heavy and the weight kept them firmly closed. As he managed to crack one eye open, there was a blinding light, brighter than he had ever seen before, brighter than the sun, brighter than a flame. Everything was white. The glare began to dim and he groggily came about and took note of his surroundings.

Troy Bolton was lying in a bed of plain white, cotton sheets. The walls were white. The people around him were dressed in white. Everything was clinical – even the smell. He glanced to his left and noticed that he was hooked up to some kind of machine – this must have been what had been beeping, what had bought him back into the real world.

He glanced to his right. There was a woman sitting next to him. Although he was confused, there was no denying the familiar heart shaped face framed with long curly, brown hair.

"Mom?", his voice was barely audible. He cleared his throat and tried to speak again but he could not increase the volume of his voice.

"Shhh", his mother shushed him and put her hand to her forehead.

"Where am I?", he continued regardless of her request.

"You're in hospital sweetie", she replied.

"Why? There's nothing wrong with me?", Troy made to get up to prove the point that he was fine. As he made to move he felt a stabbing pain shoot through him all over. His head and shoulders were lashed in pain, his stomach cramped and his left ankle twinged painfully. He winced and gasped. His mother pushed him back down on to his pillow gently and returned to stroking his head.

"What happened to me?", he asked, confused by his apparent injury.

"You mean you don't remember?", his mother replied.

A Jamaican accent came from the far side of the room and Troy turned to see a large woman in a nurses uniform arranging some forms on a table as she spoke, "That is to be expected, don't worry about it. It will just be the concussion. It will come back to him soon"

"Mom? Tell me", Troy spoke.

"Honey. . ."

"Mom! I want to know!"

She looked down at her son with a mixture of sorrow and dread obvious on her face and opened her mouth soundlessly, she looked down and clasped her hands in her lap before speaking quietly.

"Honey, it's important that you don't get too upset by this. Now, listen to me, it won't be easy to listen to which is why I didn't want you to find out so soon, but I promise you it is being dealt with"

"Mom! Just tell me, already!", Troy was getting his voice back and was raising it as loudly as possible.

She continued, "You were beaten up, honey. You were found in a back alley after Sharpay's party. You didn't go back in and they were worried about you. They phoned the police and they found you pretty quickly"

"Sharpay's. . .", Troy repeated his mothers words trying to reinstate his memory.

"You were out cold. You were bleeding badly. They thought you might have been dead. They managed to get you to the hospital and they phoned us to say you were serious but stable. If they'd found you just that little bit later. . ."

"The back alley?", Troy was beginning to have flashbacks.

"They told us that it looked like human inflicted wounds mainly. You have bruising and cuts all over your body and your collar bone is broken. They said that your ankle bone is severely bruised and it might hurt to walk on it for a while but you won't need plaster. Someone took a bat to your head"

"I was with Gabriella. . .", he was remembering more and more. They had walked out of the door together.

"What would we have done if they hadn't found you?"

"There were two men", he saw the man grab hold of his girlfriend.

"You could've been dead. . ."

"They took her", he remembered the men beat him to the ground and hearing Gabriella's screams as they had driven off.

"You were so lucky, darling"

"They took Gabriella"

"I'm just so happy you're back with us, it was touch and go for a while"

"Mom! Shut up! They took Gabriella! Those guys took Gabriella!", Troy was screaming now despite how small the room was. He needed to find Gabriella, he tried to sit up but his mother pushed him down.

"Mom! I need to find her! Let me up!"

"No, Troy. They're dealing with it. The police are looking for her. There is nothing else we can do"

"Let me go!"

"Troy. . ."

"GABRIELLA!"

...

The two men threw Gabriella down on to the mattress in the dimly lit basement room. Banes bent down to her and stroked her face. He pulled the rag of material that had been gagging her from her mouth so that it hung loosely around her neck. She inhaled deeply before yelling.

"YOU BASTARDS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? LET ME GO! LET ME GO! HELP! SOMEBODY!"

"Who are you calling to, sweetheart? Who do you thinks gonna help you? Your pathetic little boyfriend? Let me tell you something, darling, he's dead"

"HELP ME! PLEASE!"

"Save your breath, gorgeous. The room sound proofed", Turner laughed as Gabriella slumped back on to the dirty mattress, giving up the fight. Her hands were still bound behind her back and she was lying in an uncomfortable, odd position. She sighed heavily and looked up at her captors. She spoke one single word.

"Why?"

Turner laughed at her, "Why?", he chortled, "Why are we doing this, huh? Well, isn't it obvious! It's because. . .er. . .because. . ."

"Shut up, Turner", Banes spoke in a low voice, "The girl doesn't need to know anything"

"What difference does it make if I know? You've already made it clear that there's no way I'm getting out of here! Who am I going to tell? I may cooperate if you do", Gabriella said, shakily.

"She's a clever one, ain't she boss?"

Banes ignored Turner and continued to speak, "Money"

"Money?", Gabriella spat, "You kidnap me and kill my boyfriend? For money?"

"Basically", Banes spoke almost inaudibly but his tone remained strong and mirthless, showing how little he cared for the plight of his victim sitting in front of him.

Without warning, Turner moved over to the girl and sat next to her. He began to stroke her bare legs showing through the dress she had put on earlier that evening. She winced as his hand caressed her knee, willing him to get off but too scared to say anything. He continued to touch her body, running his hands all over her – her waist, her hips, her shoulders. When his hands came to rest on her chest, Gabriella couldn't take it anymore, she began to scream as loudly as she could. Turner grabbed her face and kissed her passionately on the lips. She did her best to keep her mouth as tightly closed as possible but he forced his tongue inside of her mouth. Through her heavy breathing she managed to cry out and pull away. In the brief moment that their lips were separated, Gabriella drew her head back and head butted him in the centre of his forehead, causing Turner to reel.

"Right, you asked for it", he growled. Turner launched himself on Gabriella, forcing her to lie back on her bound hands on to the mattress. He grabbed the material hanging around her neck and pushed it back into her mouth. He pinned her to the mattress with one hand on her neck while the other reached down to the hem of her dress and began to move rapidly upwards. As he reached her mid thigh, Gabriella screamed out, pleading wordlessly. She looked at the other man standing in front of them, watching the scene with emotionless eyes. He seemed not to care. He said nothing. Gabriella put her head back and closed her eyes willing whatever was about to happen to be over as quickly as possible. Suddenly as low voice sounded.

"Get off her, Turner", Banes spoke, "We didn't take her to do that"

Banes looked at Turner and back at Gabriella, glancing between the two, showing obvious malice towards both. He emitted a low growl and stood up, leaving Gabriella bound and gagged on the mattress, her hair ruffled and her dress torn, breathing more heavily than she ever had.

"There are more useful things to do with the girl", Banes spoke again, "But not right now. We shall see you later Ms Montez"

Banes walked across the basement room over to a ladder which had been propped against the entrance to the hatch. He climbed up and out of it as Turner followed, with one last leering look back at their captive, Turner slammed shut the hatch, removing what little light was left in the room and plunging Gabriella into complete darkness.

Lying alone in the dark room, she began to review the situation. She had been kidnapped. She was a hostage. Her boyfriend was dead or dying somewhere. No one knew where she was. Things had never seemed more hopeless in her entire life.


	5. Revelation

**Chapter Five: Revelation**

Gabriella lay on the mattress in the dark room, staring into the blackness, thinking about what had happened to her. She had her arms around herself, hugging herself, trying to convince herself that everything was going to be fine. Troy would find her, he would come here and he would save her and everything would go back to how it was before. Although she had been telling herself this, she was finding it hard to believe after so long. The darkness meant that she could no longer distinguish between night and day, she had no idea how long she had been held hostage, but it felt like she had gone years without feeling the touch, the kiss, the love of her boyfriend encircling her.

The silence was punctured by the ringing of a phone on the floor above her. The walls were thin and she could hear everything that happened in the house. The sound of heavy footsteps made their way across the ceiling of the basement and stopped directly above her. The phone was pulled off the hook and one of the men (although she couldn't tell which) began to speak.

"Hello?"

...

The man smiled, he recognised Turner's voice immediately, he had found the right place.

"Turner. Get Banes", he said into the receiver.

"Who the hell is this?", Turner replied.

"Someone who has a very interesting proposition for the both of you. Now get Banes", the man said in a low voice. He heard the stomping of feet on floorboards at the other end of the phone and knew that Turner had gone to fetch his accomplice. After a few moment silence, two pairs of footsteps sounded and gradually got louder, there was a rustling and then the other man's voice sounded.

"Who is this?", Banes asked, confused.

"Three guesses", the mystery voice replied, cheekily.

"Whoever this is you better stop messing around because I'm telling you now, if we find out who you are and you've been leading us on, you are going to regret it"

"You might want to rethink your tone, Banes. I have a suggestion for you and I think you might be very interested in it", he continued mysteriously.

"Are you sure you want to keep playing this game, boy?", Banes threatened.

"Do you want to hear this idea or not?", he asked in a voice dripping with the suggestion that it would be hugely beneficial to the two men to take him up on it. Banes paused at the other end of the phone, thinking through what to do. After a brief moment, he continued.

"Go on", he said in a dark voice. The man smiled, he was in.

"I'm glad you've come round to my way of thinking", he said, "I have a plan. If you cooperate then there will be some money in it for you. And rather a lot more for me"

"Why should I help you make money?", Banes spat.

"I know what you did", the voice replied darkly, "I know you kidnapped the Montez girl and I know where you are. If you don't cooperate then you and your little friend are going to be in a whole lot of trouble"

"How do you know that? Who is this? Tell me!"

"Patience, Banes"

"How do you know my name?"

"All will be revealed soon. Now, listen"

Banes fell silent on the other side of the phone and the man continued his mystery offer.

"It involves the Montez girl"

...

Gabriella had heard the first part of the conversation quite clearly. The phone had not rung before and it had clearly upset both Banes and Turner as she had heard yelling from the both of them. But now their voices had quietened, almost to a whisper. She could tell that they were still on the phone but could not make out what it is they were saying to the mystery person.

She heard the phone placed back on the stand, an exchange of words and footsteps over the ceiling. Suddenly, a ray of light shone brightly into the dark room as the hatch to the basement was cracked open. She squinted and sat up as it was pulled open further and looked towards it. The two men were climbing down the ladder into the room and made their way over to where Gabriella was sitting. They looked down at her. She glared at them defiantly.

"What do you want?", she asked boldly.

"Oh, look whose all feisty now!", Turner nudged his accomplice and laughed. Banes smiled humourlessly but showed no genuine sign of amusement. Gabriella raised her eyebrows at Banes in a questioning way.

"We have a visitor coming. We have to get you ready", he said bluntly.

Gabriella said nothing. She simply turned her back to them and crossed her wrists. She was familiar with the procedure. Whenever Turner and Banes had a visitor, they ensured that she was tied up to make sure that she couldn't attract their attention. Banes tied her hands behind her back and addressed her directly.

"It is a very important visitor, Ms Montez", he said.

"What is it to me?", she asked, glaring at him.

"Oh, I think you will find our visitor very interesting"

"And why is that?"

Banes bent down and grabbed a long piece of material from his pocket which he started to tie over Gabriella's mouth without resistance, "Let's just say that I think you'll be _gagging_ to meet him". He secured the knot in the material at the back of Gabriella's head and stood up.

He grinned and began to walk away. Turner licked his lips before following and both of them left the basement, waiting for their guest leaving Gabriella alone. She lay down on the mattress with a little difficulty due to her bound hands and waited in the darkness.

...

He rang the doorbell and almost immediately wished he hadn't. There was no way that he could turn back now. This could be a very bad idea. Maybe he should have told them who he was over the phone? God, he was stupid! What was he thinking? Turner and Bates were not going to be pleased. He wrung his hands together behind his back, twisting his fingers against each other in anticipation.

Was there time to turn back?

No. There was one set of footsteps approaching the door. From the silhouette cast onto the frosted glass, he knew it must be the larger of the men, Turner. He didn't know whether this was good or bad. He saw the man fiddling with the latch on the door and heard the click as it opened and braced himself for the potential explosion.

It didn't come.

"You?", whispered Turner in a stunned voice.

"Show me the girl"

...

Gabriella had heard the door open and she had heard someone enter. She heard no voices, but the visitor must be here. They must be discussing something very quietly. It seemed like an age since the visitor had come in and judging by what Banes' had said earlier, she both knew this person and was going to see them. Gabriella had tried to think of who it may be but after hours of useless guessing games, she gave up and now she gingerly anticipated the surprise.

The basement hatch opened again and Turner and Banes clambered down into the room. She turned to face her captors, ready to see her surprise guest, but no one new was there. She was confused but Banes spoke to end the uncertainty.

"Ms Montez, your visitor"

A man began to climb down the ladder leading to where she was sitting. She squinted to try to see him but it was difficult. He was facing away from her and dressed all in black. He had a hood over his hair which shaded his face so that even when he turned around and made his way over to her, she couldn't make out who it was. He was tall and slim and well built with his upper arms bulging out of his tight t-shirt with his muscles.

The mystery man came to a stop in front of her. He stood still for a few minutes.

"Go on then", Banes spoke from the other side of the room where he and Turner had been standing for the past few minutes, "Reveal yourself"

The man standing in front of her didn't respond verbally. He simply reached up and drew his hood slowly down from his head, revealing his face bit by bit. As she put together the various parts of the man's face in her mind, Gabriella suddenly realised who it was. The unhooded man looked her dead in the eye – she knew him well, better than anyone else in the entire world, but the wicked look in his bright blue eyes was unfamiliar to her. She gasped.

"Gabriella", he spoke one simple word. His voice left her with no mistake as to the man's identity.

It was Troy.


	6. Deception

**Chapter Six: Deception**

At the sight of her boyfriend standing before her, Gabriella felt a sense of relief wash over her. She began to struggle. Finally he had come to rescue her, she was saved. She knew he would come no matter how long it took and she was going to be free again.

"TROY!", she tried to call out to him, but his name was muffled behind the gag in her mouth.

The sense of relief she had felt when she had seen him started to wash away. She gazed up at her boyfriend who she loved dearly, who she had been so glad to see, but saw no reflection of her own emotions in his face. He hadn't moved since he laid eyes on her. He was stoic, glaring down at her with cold eyes. She almost winced at the hatred in his glare. She looked up at him, eyes wide, pleading for him to help her, but he did nothing.

"Glad to see your boyfriend, Ms Montez?", Banes started to walk over from the other side of the room to join Troy, followed by Turner. She glared at him. What had he done to Troy? What had he done that was making her boyfriend act like this?

"Gabriella", Troy spoke her name again in the same cold voice. She looked up at him with pleading eyes. He continued, "It's been a while". Why was he speaking like this? Why wasn't he doing anything to help her?

Without warning, he bent down towards her, pulled the material out of her mouth and missed her passionately on the mouth. It wasn't his normal kiss. It felt aggressive and dominant and she didn't like it, she struggled away from him and turned her head to the side. Troy stood up and looked at her again.

"I missed that", Troy said, "One of the only things I did miss"

"What?", Gabriella didn't understand what Troy had just said to her.

He smirked.

"What are you talking about?", she yelled at him.

"I'm talking about the fact that I'm in on this", he replied coolly.

"What?"

"Well, you don't expect me to get nothing out of it, do you?"

"What are you on? I don't understand, Troy! Help me, please"

Troy mimicked her screams and laughed humourlessly at her, "Help you? You want me to help you? Why would I do that, sweetheart? Why would I help you when you're being here is going to make me so incredibly rich?"

"What? Troy, you aren't making any sense!"

"God, your dim!", Troy threw his hands up in the air in exasperation before bending down to her eyelevel and continuing, "You want me to make it simple for you, babe? Well here it is. I've been in on your kidnapping from the beginning, I made it happen. That's right, me and these guys, we've been plotting ever since we got together. You're daddy is a very rich man, Gabriella. I overheard someone talking about you at that lodge we met in at New Years Eve – the beautiful daughter of one of the richest business men in the state. Well, I just couldn't resist. I told these guys and we came up with a little plot – I get close to you, get together with you and gain your trust and eventually, we were gonna take you for ransom. Then I would talk to your family, convince them to give as much money as they could spare to give you back and us guys get rich. After all, why should anyone suspect me? I'm the darling boyfriend, the one you love and all I want is to have you back, right? Wrong. You are here now because of me, your darling boyfriend who you love so much"

"You wouldn't do that", she said shakily.

"No?", Troy cocked his head to the side.

"You wouldn't, I know you Troy, this isn't you"

"Then tell me. The day you were taken – when you pointed out the van outside the window in the kitchen, why didn't I do anything about it? When my phone rang, why didn't I answer it properly, why did I lie to you about some made up trip my friend was going on about? When these guys beat me up, how come I'm fine now? How do I know where these guys live? If this isn't the real me, then why am I here right now?"

Gabriella was speechless. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. There was no way around what Troy was saying. There were so many things she wanted to say but she couldn't figure out how to make her mouth work. She was confused. It couldn't be real.

"Why?", she whispered eventually.

"Why not?", Troy replied smiling at her malevolently.

"I thought we were in love", she looked at him, wide eyed, praying he would stop.

"Love? Sweetheart, all you're worth to me is sex and money"

She felt as if she had been slapped hard across the face. All this time she'd spent with him, all this time she'd been loving him and this was how it was ending?

"YOU BASTARD!", she screamed at him.

"Shhhhh", Troy reached over and took the material hanging around her neck and pushed it back into her mouth to gag her again. He shushed her again as she stared at him and struggled at his touch, wishing that everything would just go away and be how it used to be.

He stood up and began walking over to the ladder before climbing up into the house above. Turner and Banes stood still for a moment, as if even they were shocked by what had just happened but eventually turned and followed him, leaving Gabriella on her own in the darkness.


	7. Alone

**Chapter Seven: Alone**

Gabriella had never felt so alone in her entire life. She had been lying on the bed now for what must have been days but felt much longer. The last human contact that she had had was after Troy had left on that fateful day, Turner had returned to the basement with a selection of dry foods and bottles of water which would last her for days. He had untied her and went back upstairs without single word. They seemed to be avoiding her – and Gabriella was not surprised. She had not spoken since Troy had gone. She didn't want to speak. She just stared vacantly into her surroundings, lost in thought. She didn't eat. She didn't sleep. She just sat and thought the thoughts that she wished she could erase from her memory.

It played like a video tape, over and over again. How he had removed his hood. How she had recognised him. How she had felt relief and happiness at the sight of him. How he had glared at her. How he had kissed her. How he had told her that he was involved in her kidnapping. How he had told her he didn't love her. How he had left her.

And now she remembered.

The first time she had met Troy at the lodge and how she had sung with him. She was so nervous, she was terrified to perform in front of all of those kids but when she looked into Troy's eyes, there was something comforting in them. He was a complete stranger but she knew he was special. And then they had met again at East High School. She fell for him, they were inseparable. Troy made her feel safe and secure and at the audition for the musical, he had convinced her she could do it and made her feel amazing. They had had their problems too – the summer that they had nearly broken up, how she had left him without saying goodbye to leave for university – but they had always pulled through. The fact was that Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez were special. They were meant to be. They were in love. Or at least she had thought so.

For the first time since she had been taken, Gabriella broke down into tears. They rolled down her face and dripped on to the mattress where she had been abandoned. She had been so strong before now – no matter how scared she was, no matter how sad she was, no matter how lonely was – she had willed herself not to cry. She could take anything so long as she knew that Troy was still out there, still looking for her, still loving her and knowing that they would be reunited eventually. He had been her strength even though he was nowhere near her. That was gone now. She had no drive, no motive to stay strong. She cried endlessly. But she knew that no amount of tears was going to bring Troy back to her.

The darkness of the room and her broken heart shrouded her.


	8. Feint

**Chapter Eight: Feint**

There was a loud bang at the door. Turner and Banes could hear it clearly even though they were on the floor above. They looked at each other, confused. No one ever called here unless they had been told to.

"Who the hell is that?", Turner asked.

"Turner, I'm standing right next to you, how am I meant to know who it is?", Banes quipped.

"But no one ever comes here!"

"I know that Turner! If you can't say something intelligent then just shut up!", Banes said nastily.

Turner opened his mouth as if he was about to retort but glancing Banes' face, he thought better of it and the man fell silent.

"It'll just be an advertising call", Banes said, "They'll go away if we ignore them"

But the knock sounded again. The two men stood silently while the banging on the door grew louder and more frequent. On the seventh time the bang sounded, Bates decided he best do something about it. Either this advertiser was very persistent or someone really wanted to see them. He shoved a small blade from the sideboard into his pocket and made his way downstairs towards the door. He removed the latch and opened it cautiously.

Leaning against the door frame was Troy Bolton, his eyebrow raised, "Took your time", he said nonchalantly and made his way into the house, "I want to see her"

...

Gabriella had locked herself in the bedroom of the home she shared with Troy. She desperately took all of the furniture she could get her hands on and blockaded the door with it, praying that he couldn't get in. She crouched in the corner of the room, staring at the door. His footsteps approached. There was a loud bang. The door shuddered.

BANG! It began to creak.

BANG! The hinges groaned and a crack appeared down the centre line of the door.

BANG! Splinters of wood flew towards Gabriella as she cowered on the floor.

BANG! The top set of hinges were blown and the door creaked open.

BANG! The door collapsed.

Staring at her was Troy Bolton. Her boyfriend who she loved. His blue eyes had turned to red as he threw his head back and laughed demonically. This wasn't the Troy she knew. He was a monster. He was going to get her. She huddled herself further away into the corner, away from the boy that she once knew and loved as he approached her.

BANG!

Gabriella woke with a start. She looked around for the monster in the darkness before realising that she was still alone in the basement and that she had just woken from a deep sleep. The dream had shaken her and she reached to her forehead to wipe the sweat from her brow. Although the dream had been terrifying, it was over. Not like the nightmare she was living.

BANG!

Gabriella was confused. She was sure that her dream was over. Why was the banging persisting? Before she had time to question the fact any further, she heard heavy footsteps running down the stairs as either Banes or Turner rushed to the front door and pulled it open. A man's voice spoke incoherently before a second set of footsteps walked on the floor above her, over the a room in the house. She heard conversation.

She ignored what was going on over her head and decided to lose herself in thought. It was only when the voices seemed to be directly above her that she began to pay attention, she listened carefully. If she strained hard enough, she could hear the conversation. It did not take much effort for her to realise who the new visitor was.

...

"Are you sure you don't want us to come down there with you?", Turner asked.

"Leave the boy alone, Turner", Banes snapped, "He'll be fine".

"I just want to talk to the girl alone", Troy looked at both of them in the eye and emphasised the final word he had spoken. They both appeared to understand. Despite this, Turner turned to face Troy, suddenly suspicious.

"Why do you want to talk to her?", he asked.

"Hmmm?", Troy was caught off guard by the question.

"Why do you want to speak to Ms Montez?", Turner repeated.

"I have some things I need to say to her"

"And why is it so vital that you are alone?"

Troy glared at him, "Because what I wish to say is no business of yours"

"But. . ."

"Turner!", Banes snapped suddenly, "If Bolton wants to talk to the Montez girl alone then that is absolutely what he will do. He has done us a great favour in assisting us with her kidnapping. The very least we can do is heed such a simple wish"

Turner fell silent at Banes' word.

"I'm sorry about my collaborator, Bolton. He is quite dim at the best of times", Banes said to Troy.

Troy nodded, "Apology accepted. Now if you don't mind", he raised his eyebrows and signalled to the hatch. The two men nodded and made their way upstairs, leaving Troy alone. He opened the hatch.

...

Gabriella had heard the conversation. She heard the hatch open. She heard someone climbing down the ladder. She heard them approach her. Even as a hand rested on her shoulder, she kept her back turned to Troy, refusing to look at him.

"Gabriella?"

"What?", she snapped.

"Gabriella, look at me", Troy was whispering.

His voice was just how she remembered, soft and loving. It was not how it had been last time she had seen him. It made her remember how much she adored him which until now, she had managed to block from her thoughts. Suddenly, she stiffened, she remembered what Troy had done, what he had said to her. She was not going to fall again.

"Gabriella, please?", Troy sounded like he was begging. He sounded like he might have been crying.

She could resist no longer and Gabriella turned around to face him. Troy was sat cross legged in front of her, his head bowed, his hands in his lap. He looked forlorn, despairing. Her heart gave a leap at how vulnerable he looked. He glanced up at her and caught her eye and she noticed that a tear was shimmering on his pale face.

"Gabriella", he choked her name out before reaching towards her. She leant away from him, unsure of how to act. He let his hand fall to the ground between them.

"Why are you here?", she asked him, confused.

He took a moment, swallowing heavily before he finally spoke two small words, "I'm sorry".

He looked her in the eye and her heart was touched. Her feelings came rushing back to her and she couldn't deny her love for him. She flung her arms around him and they collapsed onto the floor together in a pile, hugging as tightly as they could. They stayed there for a long time, locking lips occasionally and whispering that they loved each other. Finally, they sat up, facing one another.

Gabriella spoke through her tears, "Why did you do it, Troy?"

"What?", he replied, "Gabriella, you can't still think that of me?"

"Huh?", Gabriella was confused. He told her that he was responsible for her kidnapping. He told her that he didn't love her. How could he be taking it back?

"Gabriella, everything I said last time, I didn't mean it. I swear to you I didn't mean it. I love you"

"Okay, I accept that but that doesn't change the fact that you did this to me!"

"Gabriella! I didn't!", he whispered, exasperated, "I swear to you, I have not been involved in this in any way!"

"But you said. . ."

"I said I was to get in here! I found out where they were keeping you and I knew that I had to get you out. I said what I did to get here and rescue you, Gabriella!"

"Why would they believe you?", she asked, still not sure whether to believe him.

"I told them that I was the counterpart of the leader of their crime gang and that it had been my idea to kidnap you. It was my superior that was relaying information to them about what to do but because I had connections with your family, I could help them out!"

"Oh. . ."

"I swear, Gabriella, it was all a lie"

She paused for a second, "But what about all of the stuff you told me? About the van and the phone calls? How you proved that you were involved in it?"

"I made it up, Gabriella. I remembered the things that had happened and I turned them around so that it made it seem like I really was involved with those guys!"

"And what about when you got beat up? Where are the injuries?", she asked.

"It's dark in here, a little makeup goes a long way. Touch my arm", he whispered and held his arm out to her. She felt along it and could feel the obvious bumps and gauges in her skin from where he had been pummelled by Turner and Banes. She gasped, realising that he had been telling the truth.

"I'm so sorry, Gabriella, I had to lie so that they would believe me. If you had any idea that I was messing them around then they might have found out. I wish I didn't have to but I promise you, it was all lies, I love you always have!"

Gabriella nodded as tears started to pour down her cheeks. She was so relieved. Troy was here, he was with her and he was going to rescue her and most importantly, he still loved her. He gripped her hand tightly.

"Come on, let's get out of here", he said quietly.

The couple stood up shakily together, holding on to each other desperately. They made their way across the basement to the ladder leading upstairs. Midway across the room, Troy stopped and turned to Gabriella, holding her shoulders. Although it was dark in the room, her eyes had adjusted to the lack of light and she could just about make out his face. He kissed her passionately on her lips for a moment and then looked her in the eye.

"I love you, Gabriella"

"I love you too", she whispered.

A loud voice suddenly punctured the darkness, "Oh what a lovely scene!". A light flicked on and Troy and Gabriella squinted into the light surroundings. As they became adjusted to it, they took note of a figure leaning against a wall, next to a door, his finger poised on a light switch to the right of his shoulder. Banes' had heard everything they had said. He brandished a knife.

"It seems such a shame to do this"

Troy and Gabriella clung to each other.


End file.
